Primary audience: Distributors and counter staff
What DLC qualification means for a buyer
The DesignLights Consortium maintains Qualified Products Lists for lighting and controls that meet its programme requirements. Buyers can use the DLC product search to investigate a proposed product’s qualification. Many utilities use these lists within commercial and industrial lighting incentive programmes, as described on the DLC member page.
Treat qualification as one part of a purchasing decision. It does not establish that the fixture fits the ceiling, uses the correct driver voltage or illuminates the required task. Those questions still need product documentation and project design. Likewise, a rebate review does not replace the electrical or environmental suitability checks for the installation.
Keep three decisions separate: whether the product has the required qualification, whether the project meets the utility’s conditions, and whether the equipment fits the application. A buyer can satisfy one and still fail another. Assign an owner to each check so an approval email about product selection is not mistaken for approval of the incentive application.
Verify the exact model and configuration
Start with the full proposed model from the quotation. Compare it with the database record and any configuration details required by the programme. A similar family name or photograph is not a substitute for matching the ordered equipment. Keep the record used for the review with the submittal package.
Our product pages show catalogue listing marks only where the catalogue prints them for the specific model. This guide does not assert current qualification for any Allmax model. For rebate paperwork, request the relevant documentation through RFQ and verify the current record. Our distributor page states that we provide a DLC QPL Product ID where issued, and the source report where the utility requires it.
Use the UFO high-bay, area-light or troffer pages to establish the physical product under consideration. Do not treat the presence of a catalogue mark as approval of every voltage, control or output combination a project might request.
Ask the utility before committing the order
Programme conditions can change, so use the utility’s current application materials for the actual service address. Confirm who is eligible to apply and whether the proposed work falls within the programme. Do not rely on a form saved for a previous building or a different utility territory.
| Question | Why the answer matters |
|---|---|
| Is approval required before purchase or installation? | Project timing may affect eligibility |
| Which product category and qualification are required? | A listing alone may not satisfy the programme |
| Which configuration and controls are covered? | The ordered equipment must match the application |
| What records and deadlines apply? | Missing evidence can delay or prevent review |
| Who receives the incentive? | The owner, contractor and distributor need a clear agreement |
These are a review checklist, not a statement that every programme uses the same conditions. Ask the administrator to resolve uncertainty in writing. Preserve the response with the dated application guidance so the purchasing team knows which assumptions are confirmed and which remain open.
Build a document package that survives substitution
Create a fixture schedule with one line for each distinct ordered configuration. Include the location, quantity, complete model, voltage, output setting and controls. Link each line to the proposed qualification record and supporting product documentation. If the programme asks for existing-equipment information, collect it before removal.
Assign someone to compare the final quotation with the submitted schedule. A substitution that looks minor to purchasing can change the model identity, input power or control arrangement. Flag changes before ordering and ask the administrator whether the application needs revision. Do not assume an earlier approval automatically transfers to the replacement selection.
Keep the approved schedule, invoice, installation record and relevant correspondence together. The required evidence comes from the programme, but a consistent model trail also helps the facility team later. When a maintenance replacement is needed, those records show what was installed rather than merely what the project originally intended to buy. Avoid mixing draft schedules and final quantities in the same submission folder.
Evaluate the project without assuming a rebate
A lighting project still needs to work operationally if the incentive is delayed or unavailable. Compare the proposed lighting performance, maintenance access, controls and operating schedule before counting a programme payment as certain. Keep any incentive assumption clearly identified in the internal project review.
For a retrofit, establish the existing system’s actual input and operating hours. A lamp’s nominal wattage may not describe the complete old fixture’s electrical consumption. The proposed LED setting and control sequence also affect the comparison. Document the inputs used for any estimate rather than implying a universal reduction from a change of technology.
The metal-halide replacement guide explains which replacement statements our documents support. For new construction or a changed use of the space, begin with the lighting task and design criteria. DLC review comes alongside that work; it does not select the layout. Send the fixture schedule and the utility’s requested documentation list with the RFQ so the response addresses your actual application.
Check whether approval happens before the purchase
A distributor cannot use one utility’s workflow for every customer. PSE’s Business Lighting Incentive Program requires pre-approval and manufacturer specification sheets for eligible fixtures. Its separate Lighting to Go program applies qualifying discounts through participating distributors. Those are examples of different approval routes, not Allmax participation claims.
Before quoting a rebate-dependent project, identify the utility account, service address, program, installation dates and party submitting the application. Ask the program administrator which documents and approval steps apply. Keep the answer with the order record, especially when a fixture or output setting changes during value engineering.
- Retain the exact-model record and dated specification sheet.
- Record existing quantities and input power before fixtures are removed.
- Keep written approval where required, the purchase record and installed configuration.
- Confirm whether controls require separate qualification or commissioning evidence.
Request issued product documents through the distributor route. A document request does not reserve funding or establish eligibility.
For the project document request, see compliance documentation.
Related guides
- Lighting Spec Sheets and IES Files: Submittal Guide
- Field-Selectable LED Wattage and CCT: Ordering Guide
- Commercial Lighting Retrofit Audit: A Sales Rep Checklist
- Federal Lighting Documents: TAA, Buy American and BABA
Request the distributor document packet.
Browse all buyer guides or send your fixture schedule for a quote.
Follow NEC/local code and use a licensed electrician.